All is Lost
by sparkaliciousxD
Summary: RoyxGracia implied, maybe shown more later. Read it, review, you know. I'd love to hear what you think. Roy and Gracia go through a hard time together over Maes' death.
1. Chapter 1: Graveyard

Hughes.

The more Roy thought about it, the harder it was to cope with the fact that his friend was gone. "Damn you, Hughes." He muttered under his breath. His head lifted to stare up at the sky, and once again a tear rolled down his cheek. His best friend. Gone forever, for good. It was all Roy's fault. "I know now what you were trying to tell me."

This time, he sat next to his deceased friends' grave. "The Homunculi, yes, they're planning something. Though, I haven't quite figured out what that is." Mustang felt weird, sitting and talking to a grave, a dead corpse. But he had the feeling, that Hughes was right by him the entire time, maybe even replying. "Lieutenant Hawkeye isn't exactly _my_ Lieutenant anymore. The Fuhrer has decided he needs her as a personal assistant. Second Lieutenant Havoc is out due to injury. He's no longer able to walk because of the damn Homunculi. Fuery was departed to the South, Fallman in the North, and Breda in the East. They've taken you. There's not much else. Somehow I know Fullmetal is on my side, even if he says otherwise or seems like he wouldn't be." The sad Colonel sighed. "With all of this, there's still Scar to focus on. Not to mention the other crimes that have been going on lately." He grew silent, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I visited your wife and daughter. They're both doing well. Of course, they miss you. Elicia's grown slightly taller, as I'm sure you've seen. As for Gracia...she seems to be doing alright. She needs more company. I'll make it my duty to visit more often." He chuckled. "You certainly found yourself a woman who cares a lot."

Now, the slightly depressed Colonel stared off into space. All was silent until the sound of crunching leaves on the ground started. The sound seemed to be moving closer behind him, slowly approaching.

"...Roy? What are you doing here?" A familiar gentle voice spoke, slightly saddened. Without turning around, Mustang stood up after a moment and wiped the tear away from his face. He composed his expression, changed it into one more blank.

"I decided it best to visit an old friend. How are you?" The man turned around, facing Hughes' wife.

"I've been alright. And you?" She questioned curiously.

"I'm quite alright as well."

Gracia walked toward him and stood beside him, looking down at the grave. It was now that Roy noticed the red roses she bought for Maes. The woman knelt down and set them beside it. "Maes...I love you so much." She whispered sadly. Her eyes had closed when she spoke, her hand on her heart as though she knew Hughes was nearby. As if she was talking directly to him, and not his corpse.

Roy frowned. He wasn't used to this type of affection, he hadn't even realized how much Maes and Gracia loved each other until now. Even after his death, the flames from their love hadn't died out. It never will. Not even after every single person currently living in Central City was gone.

"It's hard without him around." She admitted quietly.

"I can understand." He stared at her, sighing. He felt her pain, her agony. For some reason, all he wanted to do was bring Maes back. Now he could comprehend the reasoning behind Fullmetal and his brother committing the ultimate taboo:human transmutation.

There was a part inside of him that wished he had the guts to draw a circle and attempt to bring him back, even though he knew the outcome. "He was always such a giving man, giving everything he had to those in need." Gracia continued to speak, further saddening Roy. "Elicia still doesn't understand.." A tear dropped on the ground below her, as Mustang could not see her face. Her voice quivered. "My foolish love."

A gust of wind blew, seeming to further chill and depress the air surrounding the two. He noticed that it was starting to grow dark, and he knew Gracia'd be needing to return home soon enough.

"It's getting late. We might want to head back. Would you like me to walk you home?" He asked, not wanting her to walk alone. Central wasn't exactly safe.

"I'd like that." The light brown-haired woman wiped off her face and stood up. "Until next time, my love." She spoke, once again, with that same tone, same adoring voice.

Yet again, it felt as though Maes was everywhere, and a larger gust of wind came. "Let's go." She smiled at Roy.

Mustang felt a drop of water hit his forehead and sighed. "We might want to hurry, it looks like it's going to rain."

They both looked toward the sky, dark grey clouds rolling in quickly. A sound of thunder could be heard far off.

He nodded, and together they walked out of the graveyard and into the streets of Central.


	2. Chapter 2: Mourning Continues

The man and woman had walked down the darkened streets, headed for the Hughes' residence.

Soon, it started to rain, very lightly. "We might want to-" Roy couldn't even finish his sentence before turned into a hard downpour. Luckily, they were near the Center of town now. It wouldn't be that far to walk before they arrived at her house.

Roy pushed them under the awnings of shops, rushing from one to the next as they neared her apartment. He glanced toward her, sighing slightly. This look was an upsetting one, as he realized that they had to get across the street, and once they got there, there would be no protection from the rain until they got inside of her building.

She smiled at him, and together they fast-walked across the soaking wet street for what seemed like forever. He hated the rain, and he was completely soaked from head to toe. It was rather uncomfortable.

Opening the door for her, Roy let her in the large building. She nodded in happy appreciation and walked in, with him not more than a few steps behind her. His black military boots squeaked on the tile floor, and they strolled up the stairs.

Finally, they got to her door, and the brown haired woman stood out in front of it for a moment. Gracia turned to look up in Roy's onyx eyes with her bright green, cat-like colored ones.

"Thank you, Roy. I'm glad I met you there today." She spoke with sincerity and a small smile. "And...thank you for walking me home."

"I'm glad I visited." The wet Colonel smiled back. "It seemed the least that I could do was walk you home. It's been a long afternoon, I'll see you again soon, I hope." Which, was extremely true. Thhey had had some sort of a connection this evening, and he enjoyed her company.

"You're welcome anytime you want to visit." She laughed softly. "Goodnight, Roy."

Her next gesture caused Roy his eyes to widen with shock, caused him to feel utter confusion. With a kiss on his cheek and a quick loving embrace, she smiled once more, and went inside.

The shock caused Roy to stand there for a few seconds. He soon headed back down the hall, through the building, and back out into the cold, wet streets of Central.

"Hm," The man shrugged the thoughts off about Gracia, and focused on the long walk home he had. Eventually, he made it home. The Colonel was completely drenched, his military uniform was so entirely uncomfortable that when he walked up to his bedroom and immediately started stripping off his clothes. All of his hardwood floors that led to his room were most likely slippery wet. As he began stripping off his uniform, there was a knock at the door. "This late? Hm..."

He pulled off all his wet clothes, putting a white shirt and a dry pair of pants on. Almost slipping down the stairs, he caught himself on the wall, went to the door and answered it."...Lieutenant? Why are you here this late?"

**_***Meanwhile***_**

As the door closed and Roy left, Alphonse Elric walked over to the woman in front of the door.

"Thank you, Alphonse." Gracia smiled. "It was nice to visit him alone."

"Don't worry about it!" Al grinned. "We had fun! But I better go, brother probably needs something."He walked toward the front door.

Gracia nodded and opened the door. "I don't think I can thank you enough."

Elicia then came out of her room to stand by her mothers' side. She waved out the door after Al had started walking down the hallway. "Bye!"

"Goodbye, Alphonse."

The boy waved, and quickly vanished out of the building.

As soon as Al was gone, Gracia picked up Elicia. She walked back in and shut the door, hugging her daughter tight. "I'm glad to be back home with you." She sniffled.

"Mommy? Are you alright? Mommy, don't cry...Not again." The little three year old frowned. Her mother had tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm fine, Elicia." She wiped her tears and smiled as genuinely as possible. "Let's get you to bed, it's late."

The little girl undressed, changing into her nightgown. Gracia tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, my little darling."

"Mommy?" The small child asked.

"Yes?"

"When will daddy be home? He's still at work, right?" She questioned.

"Oh, Elicia..." With a loving hug and another kiss on the cheek, the woman walked out. "Go to sleep, I love you."

Finally, after Elicia had been in her pj's and sleeping, Gracia had some alone time. She herself changed into her own night gown, and she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh, Maes...I miss you.." She said softly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Pictures of his happy face flashed in her memory, and more tears spilled over.

Silent tears turned into small, quiet sobs which were muffled by a pillow. She cried softly until she brought herself together. It wouldn't exactly be a smart thing if she woke up her daughter. Then she'd be bombarded with more questions that rubbed salt in the wound. It wasn't Elicia's fault that she didn't understand, but it still hurt when she asked her mother questions about her father..

Her eyes closed shut, and her thoughts ran wild until she could fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: A Fresh Start

"I'm sorry to have come late, sir. But I've been asked to drop something off." Riza looked at him, slipping him an orange folder. "Here you are. Have a good evening, sir." She turned to leave after giving a salute.

"Oh,..well, thank you, Lieutenant." Roy studied Hawkeye with narrowed eyes. This was suspicious, and something about her didn't feel right. He had to think up something clever. "Wait... Before you go." Mustang added quickly.

"Yes?" Hawkeye turned to face him, her amber eyes pretty much burning with something...was she angry at him? She had the tiniest hint of acidity in her voice, as though something about his prescence angered her, as if he were something evil. Something to kill.

"I wondered..." He pretended he was upset, staring down at the form. "If you had remembered yesterday."

"Huh?" She seemed caught off guard.

"Well, after work yesterday, you had said you wanted to discuss something over a drink. Is that not true?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Roy." Riza glared, and walked off. "Goodbye."

That last statement...it rang through his mind. "Yes, goodnight." He shut the door, and headed for his room, kicking off his military boots.

_It really was her, then. That statement proved it. Why was she acting so strange? _He wondered, staring down at the form he still had in his hands. With an angered sigh, he threw it on the bed next to him. Then, he stood up, pulling off his blue jacket and his white shirt underneath. This revealed the six pack abs he had. Then, he pulled off his blue military pants.

Heading to the bathroom, he still pondered why Riza would be acting so off. What did he do that set her off? _Maybe she's getting sick of forcing me to do my paperwork. _He almost laughed outloud, smirking to himself. Roy walked to his shower and turned the water on. He pulled off his boxers and stepped in to the now warm and steaming water, shutting the shower glass door behind him.

After a refreshing shower, he headed to bed, staring at the ceiling until he passed out.

The Flame Alchemist woke up early. Finally, a day off. He really should take more leave time. It's nice to relax once in awhile. Rolling out of bed, he went to his dresser. He slid on a t-shirt, boxers, and just some regular pants. He also slid his boots back on and walked downstairs. The phone rang, and he ran to get it. "Hello?"

**_**Meanwhile**_**

Gracia awoke early, just like she used to when Maes was home. She yawned, staring at the small rays of light seeping in from some openings between her curtains. Every morning now it seemed that she had a hard time dragging herself out of bed. Maes used to wake her up by getting out of bed, trying to sneak out without her getting up. Of course, it never worked. Or, he also woke her up sometimes by a goodbye kiss on the forehead. That was only on mornings where she had stayed up late the night before.

Today, she decided to get up and ready faster than usual. Something told her that she just wanted to speak to Roy again. For some reason, he gave her that comforting feel that her deceased husband used to, only when he was alive. Roy didn't make her feel as great as Maes did, but it was close enough.

The woman went to her window and pulled the curtains open, giving her bedroom light while she made the bed. She pulled off her nightgown and undergarments after arriving at her bathroom. She hopped into a cool shower, the cool, refreshing water soothing and waking her up.

Finally, she was back in her room, getting dressed. She wore a purple dress and some earrings with white sandles. The widow combed through her light brown hair and then headed for the kitchen, where she grabbed the home phone and dialed Roy's number.

She got an answer and smiled. "Hello, Roy."

"Gracia. How are you today?" Gracia heard his soothing voice, and instantly felt better.

"I am doing alright."

"I'm quite alright myself. Did you need something?" Roy asked, not wanting to sound rude.

"Oh, right." She giggled.

Roy smiled at her laughter, knowing she couldn't see. "Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you if you'd like to join me and Elicia for some breakfast. I can cook." She smiled happily.

"Well, you've certainly caught me on a good day. I'll meet you in an hour. You don't have too cook, we can go out somewhere."

"Oh, stop it, Roy. I can handle cooking us up a great breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Besides, I'm sure Elicia's tired and would want to stay here."

"Sounds good. I'll be there."

"I'm glad. See you soon." She smiled and hung up.

"Bye," He hung up as well.

Scrambling to get stuff ready after that, she had made the pancake batter and already had some bacon cooking. Gracia went to her daughters room, opening up Elicia's curtains and then sat down on her bed. "Elicia, darling, it's time to wake up~" She said lovingly, kissing her beautiful daughter on the forehead.

"M-" Elicia yawned before she could talk, and then stretched. "Morning, mommy." She sat up and hugged her mother.

"Roy's coming over for breakfast. I sure hope you're hungry." Gracia smiled and laughed.

"Yay!" Elicia said, getting up.

"Now, make your bed and I'll pick out something for you to wear for the day, alright?"

"Alright mommy!"

Gracia grabbed a small day dress, and walked over to Elicia, who had slowly made her bed. "Here, get this on, and we'll do your hair."

The little girl did as she was told, quickly, and then together the two females went to the bathroom. Grabbing a brush, the woman started to brush her daughter's hair, putting it into ponytails.

Quickly, Gracia went back to finishing up breakfast. Soon after the table was set, there was a knock. "Oh, Elicia can you get that?" Gracia yelled, finishing the table.

"Yes!" She ran, opening the door. "Hi!" The girl grinned.

"Hello." Roy said, stepping inside.


	4. Chapter 4: Something Different

Chapter 4: Something Different

Roy wasn't exactly too keen on going to others' homes, but for the Hughes family, he would make an exception. The house smelled delicious, the sweet aroma of pancakes and syrup pretty much overwhelmed the nice smell of the home itself. "Well, it certainly smells delicious," he said, in a sweet tone.

"Yeah, mommy!" Elicia had butt in, sniffing the air. "You're the best cook!"

Roy had smiled down at the small Hughes daughter, and then spoke. "She's right, you know."

"Oh, Roy. Stop it." Gracia giggled, peeking her head out of the kitchen and smiling at the fact that everyone enjoyed her meals. "As long as you like it, I'm happy." She smiled once more before turning back to the kitchen and putting the finished pancakes on a plate. "Please, sit at the table, the both of you. Elicia, did you set the table like I asked?"

"Yes, I set it," was the little girls response.

"Alright." Roy answered, sitting at the dining table along with Elicia. "How old are you now?" He smiled, asking Elicia.

"I'm four!"'

"Wow, you're growing up fast, aren't you?"

Gracia laughed once more, bringing two plates. One plate was stacked with pancakes, and the other with bacon. "Could you two give me a hand?"

"I'll get the bowled eggs!" She jumped up and ran for the kitchen.

"'Bowled eggs,' huh." Roy chuckled. Gracia laughed once more as Roy stood up and grabbed the plates from her. He set them on the table. "What else can I do?" He offered.

"Just sit, I just need to bring the juice pitcher." She smiled.

Elicia came back and set the eggs on the table. She sat down quietly, waiting as Gracia left and brought a pitcher of orange juice.

"Orange juice, Roy? Elicia, I know you want some." She giggled, pouring Elicia a glass, then herself, and then Roy's as he nodded at her question.

Once they were all settled, they all grabbed their helpings and started eating. "This is great," Roy added, continuing to dig in.

"You don't realize how much you and Maes have in common." Gracia smiled.

Roy smiled back, knowing that his name was upsetting for the three of them. He wasn't usually one to show his feelings like this. "I see."

Elicia looked down at her food silently.

"Eat your food, dear. After breakfast, we need to go to the market." Gracia ordered.

Elicia nodded and ate slowly.

"I have to go to work soon," He sighed.

"Well, just finish your breakfast and I'll make sure you arrive on time. Thank you for breakfast."

"No, thank you. This was delicious, Gracia."

She smiled genuinely, one of the most genuine smiles that she had shown in a long time.

Since Maes had been gone, and since she was alone with her daughter, she had been depressed. She cried every night, had to suck in tears when Elicia questioned her about Maes. Being strong wasn't as easy as everyone had made it seem. She was missing her other half, and inside she felt empty and alone. Being with Roy was almost as great as before her husband had...left. Roy made her feel somewhat whole again. She felt as though...after some time, she could learn to love again (other than Elicia, of course).

Gracia could definitely get used to this.


End file.
